Critique Arena Challenge Flashback!

[Jeremy Ross]

Hi SVS Family,

Do you miss critique arena?

Did you mark your calendar anxiously to see if you made the Sweet 16?

Did it feel like you won the lottery when you made the Sweet 16 cut? And another lottery when you advanced? And another when you WON!!!?

Me too! Well, not the last part - I never got past the Final 4, but damn I miss it!!!

As a little fun flashback, I have compiled all 43 Challenges here for your use, especially if you would like some inspiration for portfolio-worthy pieces.

Here’s a Challenge! Post your favorite personal submission, regardless whether you made the top 16.

Critique Arena Challenges

1. JUNE 2019 - GODZILLA’S NEXT CHALLENGER
   Illustrate your biggest, baddest creature that could contend with the king of all monsters!

2. JULY 2019 - WHEN SUMMER VACATION GOES WRONG!
   Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to show us just how wrong things can go.

3. AUGUST 2019 - SUPERSTITION

We are a superstitious bunch, so for this month’s prompt, we thought it would be fun to explore the ways we try to deal with the unknown.

4. SEPTEMBER 2019 - EVERYONE WAS SHOCKED TO SEE HER SHOW UP TO SCHOOL WITH_______.

We just love back to school time! It’s a chance to start fresh, buckle down and hit the books

5. OCTOBER 2019 - THE EXPERIMENT WORKED! PENNY WAS SO RELIEVED TO HAVE HER DOG BACK FROM THE DEAD.

It’s the time of year for spooky things! So for this month’s contest we are gonna summon the undead.

6. NOVEMBER 2019 - SLOWVEMBER

This month, we are handing the reins over to YOU. This is your chance to make something YOU love.

7. DECEMBER 2019 - AS SHE LISTENED CLOSELY, SHE OVERHEARD THEM TALKING ABOUT HER…

OK gang, we have a very challenging prompt for you this time! It’s sure to bring up feelings

8. JANUARY 2020 - THE TRACKS IN THE SNOW WERE UNLIKE ANYTHING WILL HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE

This month’s prompt is snow joke! Snow can represent so many things - transformation, hibernation, hardship, new beginnings. Plus it’s really hard to draw!

9. FEBRUARY 2020 - NIGHTFALL

Good night. Bad night. And everything in between. The prompt this month is NIGHTFALL.

10. MARCH 2020 - EVERYTHING WAS RATTLING, FALLING APART AND BREAKING!!!

Some days we are holding it together, and some days we are falling apart. This month’s prompt is for the days when everything is falling apart!

11. APRIL 2020 - LISA’S ROBOT INVENTION WORKED GREAT, UNTIL IT DID THIS…

Let’s channel our inner engineers and build our own robots (as if we actually needed an excuse to draw a robot !)

12. MAY 2020 - ISOLATION

Maybe it’s too soon to take on this topic. But then again, maybe it could be cathartic too! The prompt for this month is something that we all know too well: Isolation.

13. JUNE 2020 - A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF PROMPT

Ready for another illustration challenge?? This time we are not gonna monkey around! Well, maybe a little

14. JULY 2020 - DESIGN A BOOK COVER FOR THE WIZARD OF OZ

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Let’s design a book cover for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

15. AUGUST 2020 - DRAGONFLY

We just wanna keep the summer vibes going! This one is sure to challenge your storytelling abilities.

16. SEPTEMBER 2020 - TODAY WAS THE DAY, SHE JUST KNEW IT. TODAY, ELLIE WOULD FINALLY SNAP A PHOTO OF AN INK FAIRY.

Did you know there is an Ink Fairy? Yes, it’s true! She is the protector of ink and bringer of creativityJust in time for Inktober!

17. OCTOBER 2020 - EVERYONE WAS HAVING A GREAT TIME AT THE HALLOWEEN FEAST UNTIL…

Trick or treat y’all! We love Halloween around here, so for this month’s prompt, we decided to get tricky

18. NOVEMBER 2020 - TOGETHER

2020 brought us a deadly pandemic, violent protests, devastating wildfires, a divisive election, and yes, murder hornetsBut, at least we are all in it together!

19. DECEMBER 2020 - DESIGN A YETI

Yeti for a challenge?? This month the challenge is to create a character design sheet with your own take on the Yeti.

20. DECEMBER 2020 - 2020 ALL STARS

All the previous winners from 2020 to battle it out in a special all star competition Who will win the 2020 Championship title??

21. JANUARY 2021 - DESIGN A YETI HOME

This month we are designing a home for our Yeti! What does home sweet home look like for our abominable friend?

22. FEBRUARY 2021 - YETI COOKED WITH FLARE AND SECRET SPICES AS THE AROMA WAFTED THROUGH THE AIR!

Yeti for more? This prompt is sure to whet your appetite! This time, we are creating a spot illustration featuring our friend Yeti.

23. MARCH 2021 - DESIGN A FAIRY-TALE TRAVELER

They could be a halfling, elf, human, or animal. Just make them appealing and interesting!

24. APRIL 2021 - DESIGN A FAIRY-TALE INN

Our Fairy Tale Traveler needs a room at the inn! This month we are going to design an inn or tavern for our traveler to bed for the night.

25. MAY 2021 - FAIRY-TALE TRAVELER ILLUSTRATION

Our Fairy Tale Traveler is in a situation! This month we are creating a full page illustration featuring our traveler in an environment, in a situation.

26. JUNE 2021 - LET’S MEET ALBERT!

“Meet Albert! He’s furry, fun, and always getting into trouble. This month we are going to be creating a new character design of furry little mammal.

27. JULY 2021 - DESIGNING ALBERT’S HOUSE

Albert is in need of a good home! This month we are going to be designing a suburban house for our furry little mammal to live in.

28. AUGUST 2021 - ALBERT’S 1ST DAY AT SCHOOL

For our final prompt with Albert, we are going to create a full page illustration of Albert’s adventures on his first day of school.

29. SEPTEMBER 2021 - DESIGN AN INKTOBER CHARACTER

Fall is in the air and that means Inktober will be here before you know it! So for this prompt, let’s prep for the challenge by creating a new character.

30. OCTOBER 2021 - INKTOBER PROMPT: SPROUT

Since it’s that inky time of year, the prompt for this month is a tribute to Inktober. The prompt is: Sprout.

31. NOVEMBER 2021 - STAR

Ready for the final prompt of 2021? Hopefully your piece will shine like the Stars!

32. DECEMBER 2021 - 2021 ALL STARS

All the previous winners from 2021 to battle it out in a special all star competition Who will win the 2021 Championship title

33. JANUARY 2022 - TIGER

It’s time to get your stripes on! Let’s start out the year of the Tiger with a new illustration.

34. FEBRUARY 2022 - THE GARAGE WAS TRASHED, BUT RILEY MADE SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF.

Time to get those creative gears turning! For this month’s prompt, we are gonna channel our inner inventors and help Riley make something awesome!

35. MARCH 2022 - LUCKY

You might need the Luck of the Irish to get through this prompt! Spring is just around the corner, and to brighten up our monthly challenge we thought the prompt “Lucky” would only be appropriate.

36. APRIL 2022 - DESIGN THE COOLEST TREEHOUSE IN THE WORLD!

Wouldn’t it be nice to climb above all the chaos and join the birds and squirrels up in the trees? This month’s prompt: Design the coolest treehouse in the world!

37. MAY 2022 - STORM!

The prompt for this month is STORM! We want to see a character (or characters), an environment of some kind, and a storm!

38. JULY 2022 - RABBIT ROAD RACE

The prompt for this month is RABBIT ROAD RACE. We want to see a rabbit character (or characters), an environment of some kind, and a road race. Make sure your illustration tells us a story.

39. AUGUST 2022 - DESIGN A SUPERHERO

The prompt for this month is Design A Superhero. Draw a character sheet of your original human superhero

40. SEPTEMBER 2022 - CLOUD

The prompt for this month is CLOUD. We want to see an ink drawing with a character and a cloud, that tells a story.

41. OCTOBER 2022 - GLOW

The prompt for this month is GLOW. Let’s shed a little light on the situation.

42. NOVEMBER 2022 - THIS WAS THE END OF THE ROAD FOR KAMARI…OR WAS IT A NEW BEGINNING?

Is it the end? Or the beginning? Kamari’s fate is in your hands!

43. DECEMBER 2022 - ALL STARS

The previous winners from 2022 to battle it out in a special all star competition Who will win the 2022 Championship title.

[Kim Rosenlof]

@Jeremy-Ross Thanks! This is great. I have been meaning to look at the prompts that I didn't enter, but just haven't done it yet. It is nice to have them all in one place for reference.

[Jeremy Ross]

Okay, I’ll get us started with the Challenge.

This one’s from #33 Tiger prompt. It didn’t make the cut, but I’m super proud of it! It gets the most compliments when people see my website.

[AngelinaKizz]

@Jeremy-Ross this one was one of my absolute favourites! It was so good. And whenever I see you post, I remember this one.

[AngelinaKizz]

This was one of my favourites from my own contributions to the arena, Looking at it now, I can see my values needed work, but I still love it. Maybe I’ll sit down and rework it.

[Jeremy Ross]

Thanks @AngelinaKizz! That means a lot

[Jeremy Ross]

So much energy @AngelinaKizz, love it!

[AngelinaKizz]

@Jeremy-Ross awe thanks Jeremy! I appreciate it.

[Jean Watson]

@Jeremy-Ross This is great, thanks Jeremy! I watched many, participated in the last one. They are such good prompts so it's great to have them to work through as my skills improve.

[Blitz55]

Well, this was my first and only submission for Critique Arena: "LUCKY". Of all the times to submit once and finally get into this fun event they chose not to do a critique arena and instead draw random examples to critique. Mine was actually picked, and I did get that bit of a rush from seeing mine up on the screen. I had every intention of doing more but my year was so busy with other things I couldn't get around to it. Was really bummed that it was ended. I'll never get a shot at seeing if I could win one of those. Oh well, all good things... something, something.

[kirsten-mcg]

@Jeremy-Ross Thanks for compiling these! You're right, these are great prompts for when you're stuck and need some inspiration. That was one of my favorite things about Critique Arena, trying to come up with the best concept possible for the prompt. It really pushed me creatively. Unfortunately, I found Critique Arena late. My first one was #36 THE WORLD'S COOLEST TREEHOUSE. Good times! This one actually made it into the top 16, and it was such a huge emotional lift for me. I had spent the 2 years before finding SVS and Critique Arena questioning myself as an artist and feeling so lonely and lacking direction. I was coming back to art after years away from it, and while I really wanted (and needed!) to turn this into a career, I was questing myself at every twist and turn of the road. Making it into the top 16 on my first try was like a little nudge from God (or the Universe if you prefer) saying "look, you can do this." I still have days when I feel like I just can't do this, when I struggle with serious imposter syndrome, but I'm so grateful that I have these memories to look back on and tell myself, "look, you did it here. This is possible!"

I entered every month after I discovered Critique arena. This is my last Critique Arena entry for #42 THIS WAS THE END OF THE ROAD FOR KAMARI...OR WAS IT A NEW BEGINNIN? This one actually won! I was on a high for days!

[kirsten-mcg]

@AngelinaKizz I think this is definitely worth a rework! It's already amazing! I love the energy and story.

[kirsten-mcg]

@Jeremy-Ross And this made me laugh! So clever! And love the colors you chose.

[Jeremy Ross]

Hi @kirsten-mcg , I remember both and love them! Keep going; never quit!

[von_Nimmermehr]

My first entry was DESIGN AN INKTOBER CHARACTER and i actually made top 16 first time entering. i was so proud.

[kirsten-mcg]

@von_Nimmermehr I can see why. This guy is awesome!

[Jeremy Ross]

Ah, yes @von_Nimmermehr! I do recall this character; well done I must say!

[von_Nimmermehr]

@Jeremy-Ross thank you! it was the first time after art school i made a real character sheet again and it felt so good! But i really had no chance against the Pumkin character he was too cool!

@kirsten-mcg Thank you

[ArtistErin]

@kirsten-mcg Oh I remember your treehouse!! Soooo good. I am going through that scary feeling about my art at the moment myself. Need a boost. In fact, isn't SVS offering the $600 critique from their collection of working pros, like tomorrow? I want to reserve a spot! Hope they're is a link somewhere. I feel like I am hitting a wall with my work and wondering what I need to do from here.

[kirsten-mcg]

@ArtistErin I'm sure a portfolio critique would be be amazing and super helpful! Good luck, and I hope you are able to get past your wall. I'm currently taking Children's Book Pro, so can't afford a critique right now. I'm hoping they keep doing it, because I would love to get a critique in a few more months after my art bank account recovers lol!